The first students to complete a fully online degree program at Tusculum College are set to graduate in December with a Master of Arts in education, human resource development concentration.
According to Dr. Nancy B. Moody, president of the college, this will be the college’s first graduates in a fully-online degree program, although Tusculum has a successful history of the delivery of online coursework.
Graduates will include 24 students from a variety of locations in Tennessee, from Memphis to the Tri-Cities, as well as one student from Fairburn, Georgia. In the online format, the program participants are able to complete the program in 12 months.
The HRD concentration is designed to prepare professionals with the practical wisdom they need to be effective in helping organizations, groups and individuals work more effectively. As part of their degree program the students completed a consultant/client focused capstone project.
“One of the wonderful things about the HRD program is the variety of experiences our students bring,” said Dr. Jeff Burleson, assistant professor of education. “Our HRD students bring unique skills from local and global companies including Eastman Chemical Company, McGhee Tyson Air Force Base, Pepperidge Farms, the U.S. Pentagon, Jewelry Television, Wilderness of the Smokies, Knox Catholic Schools, Whirlpool, and many more. This diversity creates an engaging learning environment. Their client/consultant capstone projects are always interesting. There is always something new.”
The curriculum addresses the major segments of HRD by focusing on concepts, models, skills and methods. Courses are designed so that theoretical foundations are complemented with practice and application that enable students to build skills and competence. And while the curriculum is identical to the program taught in the traditional in-class format, the entire program has been transitioned to an online delivery system.
“The current trends in education and the need to provide accessible programs to adult and non-traditional students have led the college to decide that the time had come to develop a program that could be offered fully online,” said Dr. Moody. “Tusculum is making strong investments to offer fully online degree programs. Over the last three years, the college has spent $2.2 million dollars on technology, including software programs and data management systems, as well as the hardware to support college-wide wireless access.”
The online format has been popular with adult students as well.
“Being an older adult student at Tusculum College has been an amazing experience for me because I did not expect to feel so welcomed by the entire student body due to my advanced age as an enrolling freshman.,” said Lori Vance, a master’s program student who is part of the group graduating in December as the first fully-online degree recipients from Tusculum. “Deciding to stay to do my graduate studies was an excellent choice for my educational and career goals, as well as my very busy family life because the program had very supportive instructors and it was 100 percent online.”
For more information on any of Tusculum’s academic offerings or degree programs, contact the Tusculum College Admission Office at 1-800-729-0256.